


Changing Tides

by aworldoffandoms



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Break Up, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Marriage, One Shot, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23983045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aworldoffandoms/pseuds/aworldoffandoms
Summary: Nicolette never thought her life would turn out this way. What does she have left?
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Changing Tides

**Author's Note:**

> So another set of one-shot fics but this time will be angst related. The prompts will be from the same author of the prompts beforehand. I will be posting the link to the original author of these angst prompts down the bottom in the notes section.
> 
> As always, prompt is in bold. 
> 
> Hope you all like this! It's painful...be prepared.

Nicolette breathes a sigh as she stares at the photo of what was, back then, the happiest day of her life and the stepping stone to what was to be a beautiful future. After all the hurdles, the holding back, the pining, it had all built up until neither could resist the temptation of each other.

Her eyes sting at the memory, the years of love, of comfort, of support, of successes, ebbing away into something neither of them expected. 

Her attention is taken when the person beside her nudges her side, Nicolette straightens up and turns her gaze to her lawyer, her gaze sympathetic. She had seen many couples come through these halls and she admits this was one of the most heartbreaking.

Nicolette gives a wane smile to her lawyer beside her before she fixes her gaze on the two men in front of her. Her heart almost beats out of her chest again. After so many years, he still looks as handsome as he did the moment she met him. 

“Are we agreed?” 

Nicolette’s ears perk up at that statement and she fixes her green eyes on her husband. “Agreed to what? We haven’t agreed to anything about this situation. I don’t want to get rid of it.” 

Her husband groans from his spot on the other side of the conference table as he runs a hand down his face in frustration.

“What are you trying to do to me, Nicolette?” 

Nicolette’s voice rises in outrage, the implication of his words not lost on her. Was he really trying to make it seem like _she_ was inconveniencing _him_?

“I’m not trying to do anything Ethan! I’m just letting you know that I don’t agree with the statement outlined in the document. I, at least, deserve more of the share considering I worked my ass off to get it where it is today.” 

Ethan gives her a smile, none of the warmth it used to bring to her. His next words don’t hold any of the endearing qualities. It was cold, emotionless, annoyed. 

“Must you make everything so difficult? This is the only problem I’ve had ever with you since this started.” 

She leans back against the leather seat and folds her arms across her chest. She purses her lips and resolutely decides not to meet his blue gaze because she knows she’ll cave if she does. The hurt and the sadness still was constant in her heart and made her feel nauseous. She didn’t want this to be happening and yet, here they are.

She swallows against the lump in her throat and clears it to gather strength in her voice in which her psyche had none, the sound almost deafening in the expansive conference room. “Ethan… I’m not trying to be difficult. I won’t be taken to the cleaners. For the past seven years, we’ve been a team, building our practice from the ground up and now you decide that you want most of the shares?” 

Ethan scoffs. “I think I have given enough of my time and effort to get the majority. You’ve done well, I’ll give you that but without me, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place.” 

Nicolette’s gut twists in rage at that statement and she doesn’t hold back from her ire. Gone was the slicing pain of this situation and in its place was a woman on fire, burning with the need to put her soon-to-be ex-husband in his place. She refrains for slamming her hand against the table with her next words.

“Deserve it? You think you deserve it?! You have got an ungodly amount of money already, Ethan! How dare you imply that I shouldn’t have a majority share! How could you possibly think that taking this practice away from me will be a good thing? This is my life. It’s all I have left…and now you want to rip it from me because you’re a petty asshole? No! I’m going to fight for this. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem to handle. If you loved me at all you’d understand that. You’d understand how much I _need_ this.” 

Ethan stares at her, his blue eyes piercing, his jaw twitches against his clenched teeth. He’s seething. Nicolette can tell when he’s livid because his shoulders tense up. Any other day, years ago, she’d be afraid of that but not anymore. 

The next words out of Ethan’s mouth cut her to her core, the pain lancing through her like a thousand knives as it takes her breath away. 

“ **Love was not the problem**. Hell, love has got nothing to do with this. It’s simply business, Nicolette.”

Nicolette barks out a humourless laugh, her red painted nails digging into her jacket to hold herself together.

“You want to treat this as a business deal? Was the last ten years of marriage a business deal to you too, Ethan? Do I mean so little to you now?” 

Ethan stares at her, not one emotion showing on his face. Nicolette’s heart breaks further at the sight. Ethan used to be so expressive with her, years and years together had made them more in sync than they even realised. They were a team. A partnership. And yet…even teams become frail, and partnerships break down. 

Ethan stares at Nicolette for a few silent moments, his eyes thoughtful as his brain clicks over. It isn’t long before he turns to his lawyer, whispering in his ear. After a few quiet murmurs, Ethan clears his throat as he shifts in his seat, entwining his hands on the table, his shoulders straight and his face closed off.

“Fine, Nicolette. I’ll accept your stipulations. We’ll have an equal share of the practice but I won’t be actively practising. I’ll leave all administration duties to you. Any correspondence between us will be on a need to know basis. Deal?” 

Nicolette manages a small nod, her mouth twitching to fight a relieved smile. If she couldn’t have Ethan, then she’ll have the one piece of him she could. She isn’t going to pretend that each word out of his mouth was like he was slicing her insides like glass, however, she moves through it.

Ethan sighs, pushing back against the table. “Are we done here? I have an appointment with Naveen.”

“Yes, Mr Ramsey. Just sign here and here and you’re free to go.” 

The scratch of a pen is all Nicolette hears before Ethan stands up, giving one last look to her before he sighs, running a hand through his hair. He hesitates for a moment as if he wants to say something but he doesn’t, closing his mouth, acknowledging Nicolette with a nod of farewell before striding out of the door without looking back.

_So, that’s it then…_

“Mrs Rasmey? You’ll have to sign this as well.” 

_I’m not Mrs Ramsey anymore._

She almost doesn’t want to. She wants to fight. She wants to fight for them, however, she comes to realise, there hasn’t been a ‘them’ in a while now. So with a heavy heart and tears blurring her vision, she signs her name against the dotted line, the document a prime example of where their lives have ended up.

The words against the document seem to mock her and she takes a shuddering breath and stands up, pulling her jacket closer to herself. Nicolette walks out of the conference room and into the next phase of her life. She’ll get better. She knows she will. 

It’s the cold sting of life, of circumstances, changing, of people’s paths in life going in two different directions and her break-up with her husband was one of those casualties. Despite the cleansing breath she takes as she heads to her car, she knows the events of these proceedings will be a part of her forever, a constant dulling pain that will haunt her for the rest of her life. 

She might have lost the love of her life but she knew there was more to hope for. Changing tides come and go and this was the tide in which Nicolette could leave and re-emerge as a strong, independent woman. 

Yeah, she was going to look forward to that.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr here:   
> https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/aworldoffandoms/613740397043351552
> 
> Link to prompts: https://hnryycvll.tumblr.com/post/613228742244007936/a-n-g-s-t-prompt-list-ive-never-loved-you-i-told
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


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